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Thursday, 13 April 2017

Newsletter February 2017

Since our last newsletter, we have held our AGM
and elected new officers to the Secretariat. We thought we would like to send
out this newsletter to all Cursillistas, past and present, to give us an
opportunity to pray for you. We will be holding an Ultreya in April where we
will be praying for all of the 4th day community – see more details
further on.

We will continue to send information from
Bristol Cursillo unless you request that you no longer wish to receive
newsletters as we are very keen to keep in touch with all 4th day
community. Those of us who have continued to attend Group Reunions continue to
find them very helpful and we would encourage you to think of trying to attend.
If you currently do not participate in a group reunion and would like to do so
please let us know so that we can arrange to make contact with others for you.

This newsletter includes:

•The results of elections at the AGM

•Messages from the outgoing Spiritual Director and outgoing Lay Director

•Introductions from the new secretariat members

•Bristol Cursillo Ultreya in April

•News of a Regional Ultreya in Coventry

•Garden Party in July

•Notice of the National Ultreya in September

•Advance notice of an Ultreya on a narrowboat

Annual General Meeting

We
held our Annual General Meeting on 29th October 2016 but had to adjourn to 30th November to enable us to fill the key roles on
the Secretariat.

Richard
Hovey retired as our Spiritual Director and Chris Poore retired as Lay
Director. We are pleased to report that we have been able to fill these
positions and the current secretariat is as follows:

Spiritual
Director – Rev Alastair Davies, appointed by Bishop Mike

Lay
Director – Angela Smith

Treasurer
– Rachel Pound

Secretary
– Hilary Greene

Communications
Officer – Hilary Greene

BACC
representative – Tony Gardener.

Co-opted
member – Jean Beech

Messages from Richard and Chris

Richard
Hovey:

I
stepped down from being our Spiritual Director at the AGM, but that does not
mean I’m vanishing! It’s been a privilege to contribute to the growth of
Cursillo as a member of the Secretariat, and in that role to help organise some
of our Cursillo Weekends. However the reason that I joined Cursillo in the
first place is because I value the way we regularly meet together in small
groups, so I shall continue to do so. Currently we do this once a month. The
home groups I’ve experienced in local church have either been focused around
study, or lacked focus! I have not found a better way than our “agenda” of
Piety, Study and Action. Thinking about these areas for myself, and listening
to others, is the way I have found that keeps me grounded and motivated in my
own faith journey with others. In doing this, friendships grow too, which is
lovely, and that growing trust in turn helps the groupings to flourish. See you
soon!

Chris Poore:

Throughout
the past twelve months, or so, I am pleased to say, and give thanks to God,
that we have had a period of quiet growth. Having had a visit by Sally
Henniker-Major, National President of British Anglican Cursillo, at a special
Ultreya, the remnant of our community had been exploring a way forward, from
the position we were in. Sally and the National SD, Rev Cynthia Hebden, were
very supportive, and God in His goodness has answered all our prayers and sent
us reinforcements.

This
started in Spring, 2015, when Jean attended the Oxford w/e, and Rev Alastair
renewed his connection with Cursillo and has been coming to the Reunion Group
when he can. Early last year, Erica made contact from Keynsham and soon after
we were alerted to the opportunity to offer fellowship to Jenny and Steven.
More recently, at our last AGM, Rachel agreed to join the Secretariat and so,
having been a small group of eight, we are now, by God’s grace, thirteen.

I must
stress that these thirteen are the ones who meet regularly for group reunion
and some of them form the Secretariat. Of course there are many more who have
attended a Cursillo Weekend and who are, hopefully, passing on some of that
blessing that God gave them, through their Cursillo experience. We continue to
pray that more will rediscover the value of Group Reunion and a commitment to
Prayer Study and Action.

Just think; there were 12 disciples. From those 12,
Christianity has grown throughout the world.

We were 8 in our group who met regularly in fellowship, now
we are 13, so the hope is, that our uprising of fellowship will do the same to
encourage others to join us in Cursillo and grow God’s church.

God Bless you allUltreya!

Introductions from the new secretariat

Alastair Davies, Spiritual Director

I have
succeededRichard Hovey who has stepped
down after 5 years in post of Spiritual Director and am very much looking
forward to taking on this new ministry; I attended my first Cursillo on
Southwark 4 in 1987. After serving as a chaplain in the Royal Air Force for
18years, which included numerous detachments overseas - and moving house every
two years, I am currently serving as a hospital chaplain in Bath. Cursillo has
been an important landmark in my Christian journey, and ‘piety, study and
apostolic action’ have been very much a part of my formation as a priest. I am
currently training to become a qualified Spiritual Director.

Angela Smith, Lay Director:

In taking up the role of Lay Director I would
like to thank the team for their encouragement and support for me to do
so.I feel that I have little feet to
fill big shoes.While I have been part
of the Cursillo movement the Lay Directors have been Chris Newton-Evans,
Margaret Greening, Martin Ellett and Chris Poore.Their past leadership of and dedication to
Bristol Anglican Cursillo has been a great encouragement to me in my journey
and has helped to make me the Christian and Cursillista that I am today.

Since my appointment I
have spent some time reading the BACC resource manuals.The second paragraph on page 1 of ‘The
Servant Community’ includes an extract from page 49 of the Leaders Manual.It states “A diocese had the beginnings of a
Cursillo Movement when it has a core of Cursillo leaders who have chosen to
work inside the movement as their apostolic vocation and have committed
themselves to bring a community of service to the movement, especially the post-Cursillo needs of the
Cursillistas”.(The emboldening is
mine.)During my association of the
Cursillo Movement there have been many Cursillistas who have moved on to
further apostolic action outside of the movement.As part of the apostolic action of the
current team we would like to be of service to all Bristol Diocese Fourth Day
Cursillistas, through prayer, or when required, more practical service.We are planning a special Ultreya for
Saturday April 22nd at 2.30pm in Sutton Benger Church where we will
pray individually for all included in the Bristol Anglican Cursillo
directory.If you are able to attend
this event your support would be greatly appreciated.If you are unable to attend but wish specific
prayer for your needs, activities and/or concerns please let me have this
information before April 18th. (email:msg4ang@hotmail.co.uk; tel: 01666 837478)

Rachel Pound, Treasurer

I was part of Bristol 6
and still hold wonderful memories of it. A Lay Minister since 1998, I now
live in Bradford on Avon which is in the Salisbury Diocese. I was born in
Leicestershire, in a village called Cosby, and moved to Biddestone in Wiltshire
in 1993 followed by a move to Chippenham in 1997, and then to my current home
in 2012. In a move to become more of a presence in my community Inow work in my local Co-op and Post Office on Winsley Road.

Hilary Greene, Secretary and Communications Officer

I became a Cursillista at Bristol 6 in 2007 and
have found that my membership of the movement has been very helpful in my
Christian development. The group reunions help to challenge me and to give me
encouragement. I learn from others’ journeys and try to take this into my own
life.

I have been secretary for a few years and we have now
combined this with the role of communications officer which seems to make
sense. I look forward to keeping in touch with all of the 4th day
community and hope we can meet up during the coming year.

Tony
Gardener – BACC representative

I am a long term resident of Sutton Benger, a retired market
gardener and had a long spell as churchwarden. I am fairly new to Cursillo but
have seen how it helps to deepen the faith of friends. I really appreciate our
grouping which I find very helpful in my journey of faith.

Jean
Beech

I have been attending Cursillo group reunions for some time
and attended a three day weekend in Oxford, when Richard, Chris and Diana were
part of the serving team.Since then I
have benefited from attending a Cursillo Leaders Workshop.

BRISTOL
ULTREYA

Sutton
Benger Church

22nd
April 2017 2.30 - 4.30pm

All are welcome at this Ultreya, where we will include prayers for all included in the Bristol Anglican Cursillo
directory.To help with the catering of
refreshments it will be helpful if you would notify Hilary or Angela if you are
able to attend.

REGIONAL
ULTREYA

Coventry
Cathedral

11th
March 2017 10am - 12 noon

An amazing
opportunity to meet together with Cursillistas from the Dioceses of Coventry,
Oxford, Peterborough and beyond in the beautiful setting of Coventry Cathedral.
The format will be similar to that of a Diocesan Ultreya: including Group
Reunion; a witness talk and gospel response and of course a bit of rousing
Cursillo singing. There may also be a closing Eucharist but this is yet to be
confirmed.